Dwayne Haskins is a serious contender for Redskins’ starting job

Redskins rookie QB Dwayne Haskins earned some high praise from coach Jay Gruden after his performance at the rookie and veteran minicamps.

The Washington Redskins selected Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins with the 15th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft with the hope that he’d one day become the kind of franchise player the team’s been lacking for many, many years.

That time may come sooner than later, according to coach Jay Gruden.

Haskins, by all accounts, has had an impressive start to his Redskins career and has put himself squarely in the mix for a starting job this season.

“Oh, for sure,” Gruden said whether Haskins can win the job in training camp. “I’d be silly not to. He’s put enough out there on tape to say he deserves a shot, without a doubt.

“When he’s on, there’s nobody you’d rather have than Dwayne. Really. It’s pretty. He stands tall; he has a cannon, and he can quicken up his release. He’s got great touch. Strong, powerful arm; strong, powerful body. But sometimes when he’s off, he’s abnormally off. It’s kind of weird.”

Quite the praise for a player who has yet to start a single NFL game.

Obviously, Haskins checks all the boxes. That’s why he was a first-round pick. He had an exceptional season at Ohio State in 2018, one that included a conference record 50 touchdown passes.

That said, it was his only season as a starter and as we’ve seen plenty of times in the past, players often spin one productive collegiate season into a high draft pick only to washout of the NFL pretty quickly.

All indications suggest that won’t be the case with Haskins, however. He’s a really smart guy who has his priorities straight and appears focused on winning Washington’s starting job.

It may not be too difficult for him, either. Only Case Keenum appears to pose much of a threat, and it’s a weak one at that. In fact, if Haskins can’t beat out Keenum for the starting job in 2019, it’s a cause for concern.

Sure, in the ideal world it’s better for a young quarterback to sit and learn behind an experienced starter. But the Redskins don’t have the kind of veteran under center who’s a great example of how to have success on the field. Keenum is certainly a good dude and respected locker room guy, but players like that will be more valuable in the film room than on the actual field.

If Haskins keeps turning heads in training camp, it won’t take many preseason games before he’s given the keys to the Redskins offense.